The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is aimed at establishing a partnership to promote and implement electric vehicles in Istanbul, following the example of several other capital cities.
The partnership program will cover the deployment in the Istanbul municipality of a charging network for electric vehicles with lithium ion batteries, which will be launched in 2011, and the rollout of corresponding services and developments.
The MoU was signed by Adnan Çelik, Managing Director of Ýstanbul Enerji, Ýbrahim Aybar, Managing Director of Renault MAIS, and Tarýk Tunalýoðlu, Managing Director of Oyak Renault, in the presence of Kadir Topbaþ, Mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Strengthened by the synergy created between Renault and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the parties have decided to launch preliminary work with a view to encouraging the adoption and promotion of electric vehicles with lithium ion batteries– set for launch in 2011 in the Istanbul municipality – in order to reduce CO2 emissions and the effects of climate warming.
To that end, a working group will be set up to obtain practical results on implementing an infrastructure for electric car use in the city by 2011.
The working group will be tasked with making proposals on:
• multiplying the number of projects that could favor the use of electric vehicles in Istanbul, especially those focused on charging networks,
• installing and developing a network of charging stations for electric cars,
• developing special projects for fleets, public spaces and cities,
• analyzing the regulations on installing and operating electric vehicle charging stations.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality: A guardian of the unique heritage of Istanbul, a crossroads of civilizations, the municipality provides municipal services with fairness, quality, productivity and effectiveness, and with a management philosophy that is completely open to development, in order to improve the quality of life in the city, reassert its singular identity and help to make it a renowned capital city.
Ýstanbul Enerji: Ýstanbul Enerji, a subsidiary of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, works on projects focused on increasing energy efficiency in Istanbul, promoting the use of environmentally-respectful clean energies, and producing electricity using renewable energy sources, such as wind energy and solar power and biomass, at a time when the negative impacts of climate change on our planet are becoming increasingly perceptible.
Renault: With its broad range of zero-emission vehicles, Renault is one of the world leaders in the development of electric vehicles. Turkey plays a key role in this area, since Renault has a very strong position in the country in terms of both production and sales. Last October Renault announced it would be producing Fluence Z.E., one of its new electric vehicles, at the Bursa plant. Fluence Z.E. will be the first mass-produced electric vehicle in Turkey.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance: The objective of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which sold more than six million vehicles in 2009, is to rank among the top three global carmakers on quality, technology and profitability. It is working on collaborative projects with institutions, governments and businesses, to which it contributes its automotive expertise.
More than 60 agreements have thus far been signed worldwide, aimed at developing electric vehicles for as early as 2010 and marketing these vehicles widely from 2012.
